Heritage Grant | 2011

Posted on by volunteer

The Dundas Arts Community Foundation has just been awarded a Heritage Grant from the City of Hamilton, which will enable work on the building exterior to be completed.

This work was undertaken with a grant from Ontario Trillium Foundation.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to The Ontario Trillium Foundation, for the award of a Capital Grant, which will enable Phase One of the renovations to commence as soon as a contractor is found: This will include repairs to the leaking foundation works, replacement of the eavestroughing, and restoration work to some of the architectural details and stucco. We will then move into the interior of the building starting with the basement. Work there will include a new kitchen, meeting room, improved storage space, washrooms, coat closet and a small commercial space plus raised ceilings. After that we move upstairs to the main gallery where a sprinkler system is to be installed that will enable us to remove the temporary walls around the stairwells giving more space and light. There will be new display units, exhibition lighting, flooring and an improved office area. We will also be replacing the street level door with something more ‘heritage appropriate’ and attractive. So you see after all this time and effort it really is going to happen! We have the Trillium grant plus some money from our fundraisers and donations but we are still working hard on raising more to make all our plans possible. We are currently talking to the Provincial government and working on the capital campaign.

All this activity is exciting but it will mean that the Gallery will have to be closed for a few months in the new year. We are currently looking for an alternative space where we can at least have a street presence enabling us to still promote our artist members. We are concerned for the loss of income but the closure is needed while all the disruptive and messy work is done. To have got this far is the result of a tremendous amount of work by a great group of community minded people which includes the Boards of both the Carnegie Gallery and the Dundas Arts Community Foundation, the Capital Campaign ‘Cabinet’ led by Doug Barber and assisted by Frances Neufeld. We have also had the great good fortune to be working with Vermeulen /Hind Architects who have been there every step of the way. We have had the support and encouragement of our artist and associate members as well as our elected representatives, David Sweet, Russ Powers and Ted McMeekin. We also have had our tremendous Fundraising Events Committee chaired by Donn Zver. Our heartfelt thanks to them all. THINGS ARE HAPPENING! We will keep you updated.